Owen nodded sagely, his expression deeply reflective as he reached across the counter, his fingers gently covering hers.
"That is exactly how it works here in the Bay, Issy.” His eyes locked with hers. “Those of us who fit in quickly become a permanent part of the fabric. The bay adopts the people it thinks are truly meant to be here, and it clearly decided that you and Emma belonged with us."
He paused, the warmth in his eyes shifting into a deeper, more serious expression as he looked at her. He rubbed his thumb gently over the back of her knuckles.
“I feel that,” Isabel confirmed. “And so does Em. She’s very excited that Lily and Sophia may also be moving here permanently.”
A comfortable silence settled between them as they sat side by side, staring out the window with their hands intertwined.
“What happened to Emma’s parents?” Owen asked softly.
Isabel’s head snapped toward him as her heart thudded. Her breath caught as she looked at Owen. And the pain she’d locked up for years started trying to escape its prison. She swallowed and saw Owen freeze for a split second, his brow furrowing as he quickly caught himself.
"I am sorry, was that entirely too fast?” Owen’s eyes filled with regret as he quickly added, “ You really don’t have to speak about it if it makes you uncomfortable."
Isabel looked down at their joined hands, realizing that he must have seen the sudden, sharp flash of old pain flaring up in her eyes. But looking back up into his handsome, sincere face, she felt a profound sense of safety. She didn’t want to hide the broken pieces of her past from him. She wanted him to know the full depth of who she was.
Isabel let out a soft, watery laugh, her eyes shining slightly in the dimming light.
"No, Owen, it is okay. I actually want to tell you. But..." She tipped her wine glass toward him with a playful wink. "If I am going to open up my emotional vault, then you owe me your own story in return. Fair is fair."
"Deal," Owen said softly, his voice an unshakeable promise. "You tell me yours, and I will tell you mine."
Isabel took a deep breath, sitting back in her chair and wrapping both hands around her wine glass for comfort.
"My son’s name was Jonathan.” Isabel began, swallowing the lump forming in her throat. “He was my only child, my absolute pride and joy. He was so bright, so full of life, and he inherited every single bit of my passion for corporate development.” An image of Jonathan’s smiling face filled her mind. “He startedworking at the Wayne Group right out of college, and he quickly climbed the ranks. He married the most wonderful woman, Sarah, who became the absolute best daughter-in-law I could ever have wished for. Sarah worked at the Wayne Group too, in my own division, so the three of us were incredibly close."
Isabel closed her eyes for a brief moment, a heavy, suffocating wave of old memory pressing down on her chest. She took a large, steadying sip of her white wine, trying to keep the trembling out of her hands as she forced herself to speak the words aloud.
"Three years ago, Jonathan and Sarah were going out to celebrate a belated anniversary dinner," Isabel whispered, her voice cracking slightly against the profound silence of the empty cafe. "My late husband, Robert, and I were staying at their house, happily babysitting little Emma for the night. It was supposed to be a beautiful evening. But on their way home, a massive semi-truck jackknifed across the highway in the driving rain. It was a horrific, devastating accident. It took the lives of my son, my daughter-in-law, and a few other families on the road that night."
Isabel did not even realize that large, silent tears were currently streaming down her cheeks until she felt the sudden, incredibly gentle touch of a warm hand brushing against her skin. Owen had leaned over and used his thumb to tenderly wipe the tears away. She sucked in a breath as a heady emotion crashed over her when Isabel saw that Owen’s eyes were filled with a deep, echoing sorrow as he leaned down, his soft lips gently touching hers in a slow, profoundly comforting kiss.
"I am so incredibly sorry, Issy," Owen whispered against her hair, wrapping his strong arms tightly around her shoulders as she let out a shaky, trembling breath. "I know just how hard it isto lose a loved one in such a sudden, violent flash. I lost my twin sister when we were just teenagers. It was a terrible canoeing accident at the summer camp we were attending together. One minute she was laughing beside me, and the next, she was just gone."
Isabel’s eyes widened slightly through her tears, a wave of deep understanding washing over her as she looked up at him. She reached up, her fingers gently touching his jaw, feeling an instant, powerful bond locking into place between them. They had both been broken by the sudden cruelty of the world, and they both understood the quiet, lingering trauma that was left behind.
"Oh, no, Owen," Isabel breathed softly, leaning her forehead against his chest as he held her fast. She felt so much closer to him now, having shared the soul-crushing weight of their respective tragedies.
"It teaches you that every single day is a precious, fragile gift. I read a saying somewhere about it and why today is a gift and that is why it’s called present," Owen murmured into the quiet room, his grip tightening protectively around her. "It makes you realize just how quickly life can suddenly turn on a dime and end."
Isabel swallowed hard, knowing she had to finish the story. She needed him to see the full scope of the storm she had managed to survive.
"There is more, and now that I’ve started it’s best to get it all out,” Isabel said.
Owen didn’t say anything; he just let her pull back slightly from him and leaned back into his chair, giving her the space she needed to gather her thoughts to finish what she needed to say.
“After Jonathan and Sarah were taken from us, Robert and I dedicated every single second of our lives to looking after Emma.” Isabel fiddled with the wine glass on the counter. “That poor little girl has been through so much unimaginable heartbreak over these last few years. But the grief of losing our son…” She sniffed, drew in a shaky breath, and wet her lips. “It was just too much for Robert's heart to bear. Exactly one year after the accident that took our son, my husband had a fatal heart attack right in our living room."
"Issy..." Owen's voice was thick with a deep, echoing pain for her, his eyes shining with genuine tears as he looked down into her face.
In that moment, seeing how effortlessly Owen shared her grief without running from its darkness, Isabel knew the truth down to the very core of her soul. Fate had not brought her and Emma to Sweet Blossom Bay by accident. The universe had guided them right to this sun-drenched island to heal their bleeding souls, to give them a sanctuary where they could finally learn how to breathe again. And looking up at Owen, she couldn’t help but feel incredibly lucky to have met her second soulmate.
Driven by a sudden, powerful surge of emotion, Isabel did something she’d never done in her entire life. She reached up, framing his face with both of her hands, and pulled him down into a deep, fierce, and thoroughly uninhibited kiss.
Owen didn’t flinch or hesitate for a single microsecond. He let out a low, rough breath, pulling her body tightly against his as he deepened the kiss. His lips answered hers with a passionate, protective warmth that promised her, without a single spoken word, that she would never have to face the storm alone again.
OWEN
